The Springbank Phoenix senior girls' volleyball team's 2022 season has come to a close after the high-school squad's recent trip to Lethbridge for the Alberta Schools Athletic Association's (ASAA) 3A provincial championships.
The Phoenix qualified for the provincial tourney on the back of a second-place finish at the South Central Zones 3A tournament in Cochrane on Nov. 19. The following week, the coaches, players, and their parents piled into vehicles for the two-hour drive south to Lethbridge, where Winston Churchill High School was hosting the tournament from Nov. 24 to 26.
According to head coach Judy Zonneveld, Springbank's players held their own against some of the top 3A teams in the province, producing a 2-3 record during the round-robin portion of the tournament.
Their record left Springbank in a three-way tie for third in their group. Since the top three teams in each group advanced to the knockout stages, it meant an abbreviated, one-set play-in match was required against Peace Wapiti Academy.
Zonneveld said the Phoenix unfortunately couldn't match Peace Wapiti's play, which ended Springbank's run in the tournament. While it's hard to say for sure given the circumstances of their elimination, she reckons the team finished around eighth place.
“We had to battle and came up a bit short, but the girls played really well. Provincials are a whole other level. It’s so competitive. Every team is really good, because they’re representing their respective zone around Alebrta. We had amazing games with all the teams.”
The coach applauded Lethbridge’s Winston Churchill High School for putting on a great tournament.
“They had a big breakfast banquet and had some speeches that were great,” she said. “They had some former players talk and inspire the girls. The opening ceremonies were done with the high school. All around, we were really pleased to be a part of it.”
The South Central Zone's other representative at provincials this year was Springbank's seemingly eternal rival in the Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) – the Cochrane Cobras. The Cobras had bested Springbank in both the RVSA playoffs and in the gold-medal match of the South Central Zones 3A tournament on their home court this season.
Cochrane did the zone and RVSA proud at provincials, once again making it to the gold-medal match, where they faced St. Paul Jones II, of Grande Prairie. Heartbreakingly for the Cobras, they fell 19-17 in the third and final set – a painfully similar fate they had experienced in 2021 – to finish as runners-up.
Despite another upsetting loss in a provincial final, head coach Esther Sieben praised the Cobras players' heart and spirit throughout the tense match, and said she'd never seen her team play that well before.
“The serves, the passing, the hitting – they were on, and motivated," she said. "A lot of the seniors on the court, they were at provincials last year when we lost a heart-breaker due to an injury…and ended up losing 18-16.”
Despite their perennial rivalry status, Zonneveld sung Cochrane's praises when describing the Cobras' performance in the back-and-forth gold-medal match.
“They did amazing to get there. It’s such a hard thing to do at that level," she said. "Every team is so good. To get to the provincial final is quite a feat. It was fun to play Cochrane all year. They’re always fun to play.”
While the provincial tournament brought an end to the 2022 high-school volleyball season, there was still one more opportunity for some Phoenix players to take to the court. For the first time in league history, the RVSA organized all-star volleyball games for the senior boys' and girls' divisions this year, which were played on Nov. 30.
Now that the high-school season is over for another year, Zonneveld said the Phoenix's squad will shift their focus toward other athletic pursuits for the winter.
“I know a lot of our players go on to play outside of school, either doing club [volleyball] or other sports,” she said. “We’re going to have our wrap up party and then that will be it.”
Zonneveld concluded by praising the support shown to Springbank's senior girls' team this fall by parents and friends.
“I think what made the team exceptional was the family support we had,” she said. “Even in Lethbridge, we had 25 parents come down, in the middle of the week. The stands were full and supporting us. That was a testament to our team. The girls were all positive and supportive, and so were all the parents. It was a great experience for everyone.”
